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☆ A decade after Mandela's death, his pro-Palestinian legacy lives on
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Former South African president Nelson Mandela (R) and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (L) address the media after holding talks on the crisis in the Middle East May 3, 2001. It was a gesture as controversial then as South Africa's support for the Palestinian cause is today, but Mandela brushed off criticism. Last month, the ruling ANC backed a motion in South Africa's parliament to suspend diplomatic ties with Israel until it agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel has disputed the comparison with apartheid as a lie motivated by antisemitism, but many South Africans follow Mandela's lead. Some in South Africa's Jewish community criticise the ANC's stance, pointing out that Mandela himself eventually tried to build bridges with Israel.

Persons: Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, Mandela, Arafat, S.Africa, Carien du Plessis, Mandla Mandela, Obed Bapela, Lebogang Mashile, David Saks, Ehud Barak, Ezer Weisman, Saks, Shafiek, Tim Cocks, Alex Richardson Organizations: South, Arafat ANC, ANC, Palestine Liberation Organisation, Hamas, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, Shafiek, JOHANNESBURG, Palestine, Johannesburg, South Africa's, South Africa, South

☆ Impala Platinum halts work at some S.African mines after 11 workers died
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Impala Platinum (IMPJ.J) said on Tuesday it had temporarily halted operations at its Rustenburg mining complex in South Africa after 11 workers died in an incident at one of its underground shafts. The Johannesburg-based platinum miner said in a statement that 86 workers were involved in the incident at its No. 11 shaft and 75 injured workers had been admitted at four hospitals in the area. The company said all mining operations at the sprawling Rustenburg complex in South Africa's North West province had been suspended on Tuesday. Impala is among South African platinum producers that operate some of the deepest and oldest mining shafts in the world.

Persons: Nico Muller, it's, Felix Njini, Nelson Banya, Kim Coghill, Jamie Freed, Louise Heavens Organizations: Impala, National Union of Mineworkers, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa's, West

☆ VW struggling with S.Africa costs as group targets savings - executive
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Joe Bavier | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Thomas Schaefer, Volkswagen's CEO of the VW Passenger Cars Brand speaks with Reuters about the future of VW production in Africa, in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 24, 2023. The German automaker has been in South Africa for nearly 80 years. Factors like competitive labour costs once placed it among the company's higher-ranking bases globally, VW brand chief Thomas Schaefer said during a visit to the country. Schaefer said there were no current plans to introduce EV manufacturing in South Africa, since electric cars are currently priced out of the reach of most domestic consumers. "There's a realistic chance that South Africa, with enough focus, with all the raw materials in the neighbourhood, they could be a champion," Schaefer said.

Persons: Thomas Schaefer, Volkswagen's, Sumaya Hisham, Schaefer, We're, " Schaefer, Victoria Waldersee, Mark Potter Organizations: VW, Reuters, REUTERS, Volkswagen, Polo, European Union, Thomson Locations: Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa, JOHANNESBURG, Uitenhage, Britain, Berlin

☆ S.African lawmakers vote to suspend diplomatic ties with Israel, shut embassy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Supporters of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) and various political parties including civil society groups gather in solidarity with the Palestinian people outside the Israeli embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, October 20, 2023. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCAPE TOWN, Nov 21 (Reuters) - South African lawmakers voted on Tuesday in favour of closing down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and suspending all diplomatic relations until a ceasefire is agreed in its war with Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza. The Israeli embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Monday, the Israeli ambassador in Pretoria was recalled to Tel Aviv for consultations ahead of the vote, which on Tuesday was resoundingly adopted by a 248-91 margin. Reporting by Wendell Roelf; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Siphiwe, Cyril Ramaphosa's, resoundingly, Nelson Mandela, Pemmy Majodina, Wendell Roelf, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: National Congress, ANC, REUTERS, Palestinian, Hamas, Court, Fighters, EFF, Nations, Thomson Locations: Pretoria, South Africa, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Israel, Africa, Hamas

☆ Australia bowl out S.Africa for 212 despite Miller hundred
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Amlan Chakraborty | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KOLKATA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Australia bowled out South Africa for a below-par 212 despite David Miller's defiant 101 in the second semi-final of the 50-over World Cup at Eden Gardens on Thursday. Temba Bavuma's decision to bat under an overcast sky backfired and South Africa slumped to 24-4 inside 12 overs before light rain held up play. Australia were accurate with the ball and agile in the field, turning up the heat on their rivals. Miller and Heinrich Klaasen (47) arrested the slide after play resumed with a 95-run partnership but Travis Head's double strike put Australia back in charge. Miller smashed Pat Cummins for a six to bring up his hundred but fell in the same over trying to clear the rope again.

Persons: David Miller's, Temba, Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head's, Pat Cummins, Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Amlan Chakraborty, Ken Ferris Organizations: South, Eden, Australia, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: KOLKATA, Australia, South Africa, Africa, India, New, Ahmedabad, Kolkata

☆ S.Africa's first virtual renewable electricity transfer model to go live next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Oct 6 (Reuters) - South Africa's first virtual electricity transfer model is likely to go live by end of next year, a top government official said on Friday, a move that could rapidly ramp up renewable power consumption and reduce the burden on ailing state utility Eskom. The utility in August signed an agreement with Vodacom (VODJ.J), the African telecoms arm of Vodafone (VOD.L), to introduce an electricity transfer model known as virtual wheeling, which will allow a consumer to buy renewable power from any producer anywhere in the country. This is expected to make power from large renewable producers available to smaller users such as standalone buildings, housing societies and factories. "What we're trying to resolve really is to ensure that we protect the South African economy from total collapse," Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said during a conference. Vodacom's South Africa Chief Executive Sitho Mdlalose told Reuters this would help it to run its 15,000 network sites on renewable power.

Persons: Sun, Siphiwe, Ramokgopa, Onicah Rantwane, Sitho Mdlalose, Nqobile, Promit Mukherjee, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Kendal Power, REUTERS, Rights, Vodacom, Vodafone, Electricity, Eskom, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Kendal, Witbank, Mpumalanga, South Africa, Rights JOHANNESBURG

☆ De Beers 'confident' talks will avert strike at S.Africa's Venetia mine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

De Beers delivers first production from underground operations at its Venetia Mine in South Africa in this undated handout picture. On Tuesday, NUM, South Africa's biggest mineworkers' union, said it was planning a strike at Venetia, as De Beers could only offer a 6% pay increase against demands for a 9% hike. The strike by NUM's 1,500 workers would impact operations at Venetia's new $2.3 billion underground operations, which started production in July. De Beers stopped its 30-year open pit operations at Venetia in December 2022. "We are confident that through continued engagement with the union and our employees we will reach a sustainable settlement with the NUM," De Beers said.

Persons: De Beers, NUM, Nelson Banya, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers, Commission, Conciliation, Thomson Locations: Venetia, South Africa, NUM

☆ S.African municipalities' unpaid dues to Eskom rise to $3.3 bln-minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The amount of unpaid dues that South African municipalities owe debt-laden power company Eskom has risen to more than 63.2 billion rand ($3.33 billion) and is increasing exponentially, risking even longer power cuts around the country, the electricity minister said on Sunday. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the figure had risen by 4.7 billion rand since the start of this year. Eskom supplies power to 238 municipalities with the top 20 of them accounting for 77% or 48.9 billion rand of the total overdue debt, Ramokgopa said. The government is exploring ways to resolve the municipal debt crisis and is looking at funding from various means to upgrade the distribution infrastructure, Ramokgopa said, without giving any timeline. ($1 = 18.9890 rand)Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Ramokgopa, Eskom, Promit Mukherjee, Susan Fenton Organizations: Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

☆ BRICS nations to meet in South Africa seeking to blunt Western dominance
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Tim Cocks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

An attendant is stands next to South African, Indian, Russian, Brazilian and Chinese flags during a plenary session of BRICS Summit, in Xiamen, China September 4, 2017. South Africa will host Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the BRICS summit from August 22 to 24. Russia needs friends to counter its diplomatic isolation over Ukraine, and so is keen to bring in new members, as is its most important African ally, South Africa. BRICS nations are keen to project themselves as alternative development partners to the West. Officials in Brazil, China and South Africa said climate change may come up but indicated it wouldn't be a priority.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, S.Africa, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Narendra Modi, Naledi Pandor, BRICS, Breton Woods, disbursing, Laurie Chen, Lisandra, David Stanway, Carien Du Plessis, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: BRICS, REUTERS, Tyrone, Global, Indian, New Development Bank, World Bank, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Xiamen, China, India, Brazil, JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Ukraine, . South Africa, United States, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, AFRICA, BRICS, Russia, Africa, Beijing, Brasilia, Singapore, Johannesburg

☆ S.African lender Nedbank posts 11% rise in half year profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Customers perform transactions on Nedbank automated teller machine (ATM) at the Trade Route Mall, in Lenasia outside Johannesburg, South Africa, February 8, 2023. REUTERS/Siphiwe SibekoJOHANNESBURG, Aug 8 (Reuters) - South Africa's Nedbank Group (NEDJ.J), amongst the top five lenders in the country, recorded an 11% rise in interim profit as it gained from high interest rates, even as its bad loans grew. For the half year ended June 30, the bank's headline earnings per share, a profit measure, was at 15.25 rand ($0.8121), up from 13.70 rand posted a year earlier. But a combination of inflation, high interest rates and regular power cuts are taking a toll. ($1 = 18.7778 rand)Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Promit Mukherjee, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Nedbank, Thomson Locations: Lenasia, Johannesburg, South Africa, Siphiwe, JOHANNESBURG

Russia said at the time that the warrant was "outrageous" and legally void because Russia is not an ICC member. The Kremlin has yet to say publicly if Putin intends to go to the summit. In Saturday's statement it said Ramaphosa had briefed Putin about preparations for the event, but did not give details of their exchange. On the grain deal, which expires on Monday unless Russia agrees to extend it, Putin reiterated to Ramaphosa that commitments to remove obstacles to Russian food and fertiliser exports had not yet been fulfilled, the Kremlin said. Russia has threatened to quit the deal before, however, only to renew it at the last minute.

Persons: Ramaphosa, Putin, S.Africa, Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kopano, Clelia Organizations: Kremlin ICC, South, Kremlin, Putin, International Criminal Court, ICC, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Russia, South Africa, Brazil, India, China, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ S.Africa tech investor Naspers' profit slumps on lower Tencent contribution
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, June 27 (Reuters) - Technology investor Naspers (NPNJn.J) on Tuesday reported a 78% slump in annual profit, led by a drop in the contribution from China's Tencent (0700.HK) which accounts for the bulk of earnings and revenue for the South African investor. Its headline earnings per share, a profit measure, from continuing operations dropped to 119 U.S. cents for the year ended March 31, from 547 cents posted a year ago. Naspers, which has its global investments housed in Amsterdam-listed Prosus (PRX.AS), , draws over two-thirds of its revenue from Tencent. It posted revenue of $6.8 billion and its losses from ecommerce businesses including classifieds, fintech and food delivery came to $639 million. Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; editing by Edmund Klamann and Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Naspers, China's Tencent, Promit Mukherjee, Edmund Klamann, Jason Neely Organizations: Technology, HK, South, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, Amsterdam, Tencent

☆ US lawmakers call for S.Africa to lose summit over Russia ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Referring to the letter, South African foreign ministry spokesman Clayson Monyela said on Twitter: "There is no decision by the State Department/White House to move the AGOA Forum from SA." South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry, which manages the country's trade relations with the United States, said it was not planning to respond publicly to the letter. South Africa's government has declared its neutrality in the war in Ukraine, and President Cyril Ramaphosa is participating in an effort by African leaders to mediate in the conflict. The lawmakers also appeared to back up an accusation by the U.S. ambassador to South Africa that a sanctioned Russian vessel collected weapons at a South African naval base last year. South African officials say they are not aware of such an arms transfer and have launched an independent inquiry into the incident.

Persons: Russia S.Africa, Antony Blinken, AGOA, Clayson Monyela, Cyril Ramaphosa, Vladimir Putin, Antony Blinken's, Joe Bavier, Carien du, William Maclean Organizations: AGOA, Twitter, State Department, White, SA, Africa's Department of Trade and Industry, South, International Criminal, U.S, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, U.S, Africa, Washington, Russia, JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, South, Nigeria, Ukraine, United States, China, Russian

☆ S.Africa's army chief visits Moscow for bilateral talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JOHANNESBURG, May 15 (Reuters) - The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said on Monday that its army chief, Lawrence Mbatha, was in Moscow for a bilateral meeting, where he will visit Russian military academies and hold talks with officials. "It must be noted that South Africa has military-to-military bilateral relations with various countries in the continent and beyond," the SANDF said in a statement, adding that the meeting in Russia was planned well in advance. Brigety was summoned on Friday to meet South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor and he apologised "unreservedly" to the government and the people of South Africa, a foreign ministry statement said. "I was grateful for the opportunity to speak with Foreign Minister Pandor ... and correct any misimpressions left by my public remarks," Brigety said in a tweet that did not confirm whether he had apologised. South Africa, which has abstained from voting on U.N. resolutions on Russia's war in Ukraine, says it is impartial.

☆ S.African utility Eskom's interim profit drops almost two-thirds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SummarySummary Companies State-owned utility posts profit of 3.84 bln randProfit drop due to power cuts, plant performanceEskom needs 60 bln rand for operations in 2023JOHANNESBURG, March 31 (Reuters) - South African power utility Eskom said on Friday its half year profit fell by nearly two-thirds, driven by rolling power cuts and poor plant performance. Debt-saddled Eskom has struggled for years to meet electricity demand in the country, plunging Africa's most developed economy into hours of power cuts, hurting industry output and impacting households. The state-owned utility's profit for the six months ended Sept. 30 fell to 3.84 billion rand ($216.5 million) from 10.61 billion rand in the year earlier period. The government, which has struggled for years to overhaul the power firm, said in February it planned to take on 254 billion rand of Eskom's 423 billion rand debt as of Sept. 30. For 2023, Eskom said it would need 60 billion rand for operations, three quarters of which has already been arranged with the remainder to be secured through a private share placement.

☆ S.Africa's Transnet halts gas supplies after pipeline damage
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Transnet SOC Ltd FollowMarch 31 (Reuters) - South Africa's Transnet has halted gas supplies through its Durban pipeline after it was damaged by an excavator, the state-owned logistics utility said on Friday. The incident took place on Thursday afternoon when an excavator deployed to clean up waste accidentally hit the pipeline, Transnet said. Repairs to the pipeline began on Friday morning after the fire was brought under control on Thursday night, it added. Transnet did not say when repairs could be completed but said it was working to restore supplies "as soon as possible". The gas pipeline runs from Secunda in Mpumalanga to the port city of Durban, transporting an average 450 million cubic metres of gas per year.

Summary Pistorius to appear at parole hearing next year - authoritiesMother of Reeva Steenkamp against release"Blade Runner" gained global fame for Paralympic titlesJOHANNESBURG, March 31 (Reuters) - Former South Africa Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius, jailed in 2016 for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has been denied parole, South Africa's prison authorities and a lawyer for the victim's family said on Friday. "Come August 2024, he would have reached the minimum detention period, then the (parole) board will make a decision," prison spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo told a media briefing. [1/7] Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius leaves court after appearing for the 2013 killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, June 14, 2016. He was not available to comment after Pistorius was denied parole. The basis for his argument for Pistorius' parole consideration was that "there doesn't seem to be any negative factors precluding his being released on parole because he meets the requirements of the department in terms of their policies and procedures".

☆ S.Africa's MultiChoice and Comcast to create Africa-wide streaming service
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, March 2 (Reuters) - Africa's biggest pay TV company, MultiChoice Group (MCGJ.J), said on Thursday it had entered into an agreement with U.S.-based media conglomerate Comcast (CMCSA.O) to create a pan-Africa video streaming platform. The new streaming service, which will be built on MultiChoice's streaming platform Showmax, will be 70% owned by the company, it said. While MultiChoice has the biggest market share in pay TV in Africa, it has been struggling to penetrate deeper with Showmax due to competition from Netflix (NFLX.O), Amazon's (AMZN.O) streaming service and Disney (DIS.N). With the streaming companies now training their guns on sports rights in Africa, MultiChoice is being threatened in a market in which it has been a leader. The new streaming service will combine MultiChoice's accelerating investment in local content with an extensive pipeline of international content licensed from NBCUniversal and Sky, the company said.

☆ S.Africa's Aspen set for deals to revive idled production lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Promit Mukherjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aspen had a contract with Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) to produce 250 million doses a year of COVID vaccine from its South African plant. It expanded the capacity to 400 million annual doses last year to sell its own branded COVID vaccine Aspenovax anticipating a major flow of orders from African countries. That was a bit of a commercial disappointment," CEO Stephen Saad told Reuters in an interview after its interim earnings. But Saad said the partnerships it was pursuing meant production lines designed for COVID vaccine would start generating returns. The company anticipates a contribution of 2 billion rand ($110.22 million) in calendar year 2024, increasing to 4 billion rand by 2025 under these partnerships, Saad added.

☆ S.Africa's Gold Fields FY2022 headline profit rises 19%
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A mine worker walks underground as South Africa's Gold Fields bets on solar to cut costs and carbon, at Gold Fields' South Deep mine, south-west of Johannesburg, South Africa October 12, 2022. REUTERS/Siphiwe SibekoFeb 23 (Reuters) - South Africa's Gold Fields (GFIJ.J) posted a 19% jump in annual profit on Thursday, after a $202 million break fee payment from its failed bid to acquire Canada's Yamana (YRI.TO) helped offset cost pressures. Gold Fields' headline earnings per share (HEPS) - the profit measure commonly used in South Africa - was $1.19 in the year ended December 2022, compared with $1.00 the previous year. The miner, which has operations in South Africa, Australia, Ghana, Peru and Chile, said it produced 2.4 million ounces of gold in 2022, up 3% from 2.34 million ounces the previous year and topping its revised guidance of 2.31 million to 2.36 million ounces. Gold Fields declared a final dividend of 4.45 rand ($0.2443) per share, bringing the total payout for 2022 to 7.45 rand.

☆ Russia's warship with hypersonic missiles arrives for drills with S.Africa, China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] The Russian frigate 'Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov' arrives in the port of Richards Bay, South Africa, in this still image taken from video released February 22, 2023. Feb 22 (Reuters) - Russia's flagship frigate equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles has arrived in the South African port of Richards Bay for exercises that will include China, Russia's RIA state news agency reported on Wednesday. It calls the drills routine but they have fuelled domestic criticism and fears they could endanger relations with Western partners. In late January, the ship tested its strike capabilities in the western Atlantic Ocean. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Africa's naval exercise with Russia, China raises Western alarm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Carien Du Plessis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"These exercises are going to be a lightning rod," said Steven Gruzd, of the South African Institute of International Affairs. "South Africa, like any independent and sovereign state, has a right to conduct its foreign relations in line with its ... national interests," South Africa's defence ministry said last month. Russia's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment, and South Africa's National Defence Force has denied the TASS report. China is now Africa's top bilateral trading partner, but the EU is by far the largest market for South African exports. Domestic critics of South Africa's push to deepen ties with Russia and China say that economic reality alone should be enough to give the government serious pause.

☆ Russian warship armed with hypersonic missiles to join drills with China, S.Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 23 (Reuters) - A Russian warship armed with new-generation hypersonic cruise weapons will participate in joint exercises with the navies of China and South Africa in February, the Russian state agency, TASS, said on Monday. The missiles fly at nine times the speed of sound, with a range of more than 1,000 km (620 miles), Russia says. They form the centrepiece of its hypersonic arsenal, along with the Avangard glide vehicle that entered combat duty in 2019. On Thursday, the South African National Defense Force said the drills, to run from Feb. 17 to Feb. 27 near the port city of Durban and Richards Bay, aim "to strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia and China." The exercise will be the second involving the three countries in South Africa, after a drill in 2019, the defence force added in its statement.

☆ S.African foreign minister: panel report on Ramaphosa 'troubling moment'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Foreign Minister of South Africa Naledi Pandor addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2022. REUTERS/Mike SegarJOHANNESBURG, Dec 1 (Reuters) - A panel report that found preliminary evidence that President Cyril Ramaphosa may have violated his oath of office is a "troubling moment" for the government and governing party, South Africa's foreign minister Naledi Pandor said in an interview at the Reuters NEXT conference. Ramaphosa has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes. Pandor added that she was still reading the panel report on the robbery at Ramaphosa's farm and that she did not want to rush into the public space with additional comments. Reporting by Tim Cocks and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Alexander Winning, James Macharia ChegeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The truce has raised hopes humanitarian aid can start moving back into a region where hundreds of thousands face famine. Representatives of Ethiopia's military and government and forces from Tigray are in the Kenyan capital Nairobi to discuss how to begin implementing the ceasefire, with the talks set to last three or four days. Getachew Reda, spokesman for the Tigray authorities, said the talks were to figure out implementation of the agreement. In a statement on Monday, the AU said it expected the outcomes of the talks to "include modalities for silencing the guns, humanitarian access and the restoration of services in the Tigray region". The ceasefire agreement says Ethiopia's army will safeguard the country against "foreign incursion" but analysts are worried about whether Eritrea - the TPLF's sworn enemy - will listen.

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